Barack Obama is not a US citizen and is therefore ineligible to be President of the United States. That’s the standpoint of the so-called “birthers.” What’s behind this claim and what does it say about the beleaguered Republican Party?

Listen to an interview with American political science professor Charles Franklin:

A small yet persistent group of conspiracy theorists, called “birthers,” continue to question the legality of Barack Obama’s presidency, by casting doubt on his citizenship. The US Constitution stipulates that a person must be a naturalised American citizen in order to legally take the post of President of the United States. But the Constitution does not spell out how one is born a naturalised citizen and some have seized upon the vague language to advance the argument that President Obama may not be a citizen.

Legal evidence
American citizenship is bestowed upon a newborn child in two instances: if the child is born on American soil, or if at least one parent is a citizen of the US. Barack Obama was born in 1961 on Honolulu, in the US state of Hawaii. His father was Kenyan. His mother, however, was American; therefore President Obama is undoubtedly a US citizen.

The legal documents, however, have not discouraged the birthers. They maintain that Mr Obama was actually born in either Kenya or Indonesia, is therefore not a citizen, and subsequently cannot legally be president. And it seems to make no difference to the birthers that Mr Obama would be a US citizen even if he had been born in another country. Political science professor Charles Franklin of the University of Wisconsin-Madison says the birthers do not concern themselves with logic or evidence:

“The state of Hawaii has the birth certificate. They’ve certified that. They’ve issued a birth certificate for getting passports or any other proof-of-identity under US law. The birth announcement appeared in both Honolulu papers at the time… There’s just more than overwhelming evidence that you would think would put this to an end… these are charges that really do only appeal to a very small and very suspicious minority of the population….”

The birther movement may not appeal to many Americans, but that does not mean this is merely a fringe movement. Prominent CNN journalist Lou Dobbs has fuelled the controversy with his own questions about President Obama’s citizenship. And right-wing radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has also devoted much of his recent programming to this topic.

Inconsistent claims
The small segment of conservatives, who vociferously oppose every aspect of Mr Obama’s presidency, is keen to latch-on to any rumor that could undermine the administration. During his campaign for the presidency, Mr Obama had to deflect a litany of accusations: that he is a racist, that he is a drug abuser, and even that he is a closeted homosexual. The charges gained little traction, largely because the Obama campaign proactively dispelled the rumors, having learned an important lesson from Senator John Kerry’s failed campaign in 2004. Professor Franklin points out that the spurious attacks on President Obama were so numerous and varied that their inconsistencies quickly became undeniable:

“There are some other examples. There was a persistent rumor he was a Muslim, despite evidence that he got in trouble because his Christian church had a minister who was controversial.”

The GOP’s dilemma
The birthers hold no sway over the vast majority of Americans; their arguments resonate only with a small segment of conservative Republicans. That group may be as little as one-third of the overall Republican electorate. The problem facing the Grand Old Party (GOP) is that irrational arguments have a tendency to alienate the other two-thirds of Republicans, who may find such discourse absurd. But some Republican politicians, nevertheless, have felt the need to pander to the radical right-wing of the party to maintain their constituencies. Professor Franklin says these politicians must pull off a delicate balancing act:

“The trouble for Republican leaders is how to regain their image as a responsible, sensible party in the face of factions, which paint it in such a bad light, but are, in fact, not representative of the broad sweep of the party.”

The birther movement is unlikely to convince many that President Obama is not a US citizen, but that does not mean the attacks have no effect. Their arguments reaffirm the irrational negative beliefs held by certain individuals, who oppose every aspect of the Obama administration. But even worse is the effect on American servicemen, some of whom have already questioned the authority of the very top of their chain of command: the President of the United States, Barack Obama.